Nighttime Visit
by megamatt09
Summary: Hermione receives a nighttime visit from the ghost of Rowena Ravenclaw. One shot


Hermione Granger tossed and turned, convinced that she did the right thing, but a small part of her nagged her that she didn't. She chalked it up to being some kind of time-turner reduced stress, but she ignored it. McGonagall warned her about the consequences of using that device, and Hermione had to swear not to use it for anything other her classes.

But sure, if the device caused long term damage, then Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have sighed off on such a thing, would he of?

She told McGonagall about the Firebolt, and she took it. Harry and Ron were not happy, well Ron made a bit more of a scene about it that Harry. Harry did this silent fuming thing, acting like Hermione mortally insulted him, and that made her distressed.

She easily handled Ronald belittling her, but the silent fuming that was even worse.

'_Just the time turner, just the time turner, just the time turner, focus,' _Hermione thought, she only used the time-turner for classes, and nothing else, because she didn't want to abuse her privlidge. She managed to fit in all of the homework, only having a scant couple of hours available to sleep.

"Hermione Granger!"

Hermione sat bolt up right in her bed and nearly blasted her curtains to shreds. She heard a voice, but no body attached to it.

"Hello?" she asked, this was not good, this was not good at all.

"Relax, Hermione, I'm not going to hurt you."

Hermione clutched her arms around her knees and shivered. The lack of sleep must be making her delirious.

'_Just the time-turner, just the time-turner, just the time-turner,' _she chanted again, almost as if that would help.

"They give such a dangerous object to one so young and immature…."

"I'm not immature!" Hermione snapped, folding her arms like a two year old and pouting.

"Of course, honey, of course."

The woman appeared, in a spectral form, and Hermione gasped.

"You're Rowena Ravenclaw!"

"In the flesh, only not anymore," she told her. "You've had a stressful year, haven't you honey?"

"It's just…..Ron…..he keeps getting in a huff about how my cat doesn't understand that he shouldn't be chasing his rat," Hermione said and she crossed her arms.

"If it makes you feel any better, you're not entirely wrong about that situation, but you're not entirely right either," Rowena said.

"What do you mean by that?"

Rowena hummed dreamily. "You'll find out soon enough, dear."

Hermione had a million questions to ask the godmother of Hogwarts magic, but she settled for the most obvious one. "What are you doing here?"

"Here to keep you from making a similar mistake that I did."

"You made a mistake, but you're the pinnacle of wisdom."

Rowena chuckled at Hermione's simplistic view on life. "Even the most intelligent of us are not immune to stupidity."

Hermione blinked, but sighed. Rowena saw the door was open and pounced.

"I'm not going to mince words, books are a useful reference, but real intelligence is based upon creativity and thinking outside of established guidelines," Rowena said and Hermione almost looked scandalized. "You continue to rely on books, you limit your chances once you leave this school. A book can only get you so far, until you run into a new situation. And out of all that has been, only a fraction of that has been documented."

"What does this have to do…"

"You went to Professor McGonagall behind your friend's back," Rowena said and she pointed one ghostly finger.

"That was out of…"

"Concern I know," Rowena said and she smiled. "Did you think that you were helping Harry? Perhaps out of the greater good?"

"What….the….that sounds bad when you put it that way," Hermione stammered and Rowena smiled and hummed dreamily again.

"That's because it is, sweetie," Rowena said. "After all you've been through, if you knew Harry, you would have known one thing about him. Think about the number of friends that he has outside of you and Ron….."

"Well he gets along with….he gets along with the Quidditch team and his dorm mates well enough," Hermione said, but she struggled with that one.

"His trust is not earned easily, and once broken, he might forgive, due to his nature, but things are never going to be the same ever again," Rowena said. "You didn't once ask Harry to go to McGonagall with the broomstick…."

"Well no….but…"

"If someone sent you a book, with knowledge that few had even tapped into, would you think twice about it being cursed, if someone was after you?" Rowena asked, and she waited for Hermione's answer. She hung her head in shame. "Even after the diary?"

"Even after the diary," Hermione said, she wondered if she would have done the same thing Ginny did if their positions were switched. She figured though that the diary must have had a very powerful compulsion on it, that even an adult wizard or witch might have trouble with.

That's why she didn't hold Ginny accountable for what happened with the diary. Mrs. Weasley was another matter entirely.

"So, did you expect Harry to think rationally when he needed a new broom so bad?" Rowena asked and Hermione inclined her head. "If it was an enemy, they would attack your Achilles heel. I think that Harry might have rationally heard you out if you explained things to him, instead of going behind his back and snitching him out."

"I didn't snitch him out, I was concerned….."

"What if someone found out about the time-turner and turned you in?" Rowena asked and Hermione opened her mouth.

"I got permission…"

"Dumbledore has a very liberal definition of what permission is," Rowena countered and Hermione blinked.

"Professor McGonagall told me that the Ministry agreed…"

"Because Dumbledore assure her that they did," Rowena said and she smiled at Hermione, looking at her like a puppy dog who got into something she wasn't supposed it. It was hard to stay mad at her, because she honestly didn't know any better. "There's a reason why you went into Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw."

"The sorting hat wanted to put into Ravenclaw, but I convinced…"

"I take it they don't tell you what the Sorting Hat truly is, in Hogwarts, a History, or rather, the Ministry approved History of Hogwarts," Rowena said, looking like she tasted something entirely foul. "The hat is an enhanced replication of a subconscious conversation that you will have of yourself, and it will help bring certain personality traits to the full front. Bravery and recklessness is something that you're known for than creative intelligence."

"How does that work?"

"Magic," Rowena said, and she paused. "Or to put things more accurately, a web of intricate charm work that took twelve years to complete."

"All that time over a hat…"

"Back during that day, we didn't skimp on the important magic," Rowena told her and she shook her head sadly at the number of security holes that were in Hogwarts currently. She left explicit instructions that a team of curse breakers should renew the charm work every fifty years, but those must have gotten lost, or disregarded. "That being said, you're going to lose something in your pursuit of knowledge…"

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"Most perspective thing I've ever heard of you, perhaps there's hope for you yet," Rowena said. "My daughter…..she stole an object that I created, both of our mutual pursuits of knowledge caused our relationships to be strained. I regret it….I regret much….but that's the past, and there's still time for you."

"You don't know that anything is going to happen," Hermione said and she slid back.

"I'm a seer, and I'm sure they didn't say that in the Ministry Approved History of Hogwarts," Rowena said. "Speaking of which, why did you want to go into Gryffindor?"

"Don't you know?"

Rowena smiled. "Humor me."

"Because….well I heard that Professor Dumbledore did."

"Hmmm," Rowena murmured.

"What do you mean?" Hermione interjected.

"What did they say about Dumbledore?"

"They said that it was widely said that the Gryffindor house had such notable names such as Albus Dumbledore," Hermione said.

"Hmmm," Rowena repeated again. "Do you have any proof other than that?"

Hermione looked extremely cross. "It was published in a book, why would it lie?"

"Why would it tell the truth?" Rowena countered and Hermione had no comeback. "Remember this, honey ,history is written by the victors."

Hermione mulled that one over for a little bit.

"What will happen to me?"

"I can't say that," Rowena said and Hermione scowled at her. "Although, I will say that you're going to limit your possibilities, and be stuck in a marriage that might not be the best for you."

"Oh, God, I marry Ron, don't I?" Hermione asked, and she wanted to die, just be struck down by lightning right now.

"I find it amusing that you believe that Divination is in stone, when you've called Trelawney a fraud," Rowena said. "Now is it because you've changed your tune, or it's because I'm Rowena Ravenclaw, someone that you have wet dreams over on a nightly basis."

"I don't have wet dreams," Hermione said, but she got really red in the cheeks.

"Okay, sweetie, whatever you say," Rowena said, with a nonchalant shrug. "You may marry Ron, and you may have three kids…."

"Three kids, are you kidding me?" Hermione asked. "I don't want any children…..okay fine, I want two…..named Rose and Hugo…"

"Hugo….that poor child, he should be answering to a hunchback," Rowena said and she shook her head.

"It was my grandfather's name," Hermione said crossly.

"I know, dear, I'm a seer," Rowena said in a sing song voice. "And Rose was your grandmother…..on your mother's side, but I suppose it's better than Albus Severus."

"That's….that's barbaric," Hermione said, now she felt sorry about any more child who got saddled that name. "Wait, you said three kids….but you only mentioned two…..Albus Severus isn't mine….is it…"

"No, you haven't become that enamored with authority to subject a kid to that kind of mental and emotional abuse," Rowena said, and Hermione thought about it. "You have two children with Ron, Rose and Hugo."

"In theory?" Hermione asked.

"Well, the future is your choice, and there are an infinite number of timelines….."

"So, I could marry Harry?"

Marrying Harry would be like marrying her brother. Of course, given the traditions of the magical world, that wasn't exactly an excuse not to marry someone.

"You could marry Draco Malfoy," Rowena replied and Hermione looked even more revolted about the Ron theory.

"What….what…..WHAT?" she asked, and she was beyond all words. Other than the one. "WHAT?"

Hermione felt faint, and she wondered if she had a time-turner induced brain aneurism.

"Well, that's unlikely, but maybe in some alternate universe somewhere," Rowena said. "There's another universe where you're called B'loody Mary, and a brain-dead lackey to someone called Ebony or is it Enoby…..can't really recall…..Salazar exposed me to too many potion fumes when I tapped into that reality."

She shuddered.

"You might not marry anyone, and maybe that's for the best," Rowena said to Hermione. "And I'm not trying to cut you down, but you're not worthy of Harry."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Hermione said crossly.

"Of course, I don't think that boys are your speed," Rowena added as an afterthought. "You might be brought down to earth by someone who has a more unique perspective of the world. Some consider her insane, but she might be the only one who is sane in this insane world. A person like that seems like they would be your soulmate, just like Harry's is someone from a distant world, far beyond this star system."

Rowena smiled and added.

"A real super girl if I may be blunt."

Hermione didn't say anything. She didn't trust herself to.

"The point is, open up your mind and remember that anyone can write something down in a book," Rowena said. "I can't really tell what happens, only glimpses, and there are infinite realities out there that muddle things up."

Hermione nodded and Rowena faded from the room.

The third year Gryffindor slumped her head down onto the pillow with her energy failing her. Then her eyes snapped open, her body covered in a cold sweat.

'_Okay, that was one messed up dream.'_

The scary that is she wasn't completely sure if that was a dream or not.

First thing in the morning she was going to turn in the time turner, because she couldn't handle this any more.

Second thing, she was going to Madam Pompfrey and ask to check for any residual damage caused by the time turner.

Third thing, when she worked up the nerve, she would apologize to Harry.

Right now, she hoped that her normal dreams about Rowena Ravenclaw would return. At least those were more normal.

**The End. **


End file.
